2024 Empowering Voices Awards
Event Information
When:
November 13th, 2024
Eastern Time
Where:
In Person
DC
Our Empowering Voices Awards in Washington, D.C., attracts hundreds of guests, including government officials, civil society leaders, and grassroots activists. Over the years, we have honored notable figures like pioneering civil rights leader Representative John Lewis, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Muhammad Yunus and Shirin Ebadi, and actors George Takei and Morgan Freeman.
This year, MPAC is honored to present Senator Bernie Sanders with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Senator Sanders, a long-time ally of the American Muslim community, has consistently championed our shared values. He opposed President Trump’s Muslim Ban and stood as a strong critic of President Biden’s support for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza. His support for student protests against Israel’s actions on college campuses has been particularly inspiring as they face unfounded accusations of antisemitism.
MPAC will also posthumously recognize Shireen Abu Akleh with an Empowering Voices Award. In 2022, Shireen’s tragic and unjust death deeply impacted our community, and we continue to grieve with family, friends, and colleagues who lost such an extraordinary woman. Her unwavering dedication to truth and justice, especially in her tireless coverage of the Palestinian cause, has inspired not only the American Muslim community but people around the world. Her commitment to speaking out against oppression and injustice exposed the tyranny to the wider world, and her courage in speaking the truth will impact generations to come.